Moscow Supports Iran Nuclear Deal, Criticizes Washington

Moscow Supports Iran Nuclear Deal, Criticizes Washington

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin speaks during a working session at a G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 6, 2013.

Moscow – Raed Jabr

The Kremlin reiterated on Monday Russia’s “full” commitment to the nuclear deal with Iran and called on international parties not to allow Washington to undermine international agreements.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, for its part, stressed the importance of “defending common interests with Tehran,” pointing to a wide convergence of positions between Moscow, EU countries and China in this regard.

President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in Sochi with IAEA Director Yukiya Amano, after which presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the talks took place in a positive atmosphere and that Russia conveyed to the IAEA its position on the developments on the Iranian nuclear file and other files related to maintaining the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

“Moscow will maintain its full commitment to work in accordance with the comprehensive international plan of action, despite the US withdrawal,” Russia's Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov told reporters following the meeting.

The Russian envoy added that the IAEA chief, in turn, said the agency was ready to act strictly within the scope of its competences, in accordance with its charter and instructions issued by its governing agencies such as the IAEA Board of Governors.

“The important thing is that Mr. Amano confirmed that as of now, Iran continues to fully implement its obligations under the JCPOA,” Ulyanov concluded.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a lengthy session of talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is visiting Russia as part of a tour that took him to China and concludes in Brussels.

“Russia and Iran must defend their interests together in light of the nuclear agreement,” Lavrov said.

He also criticized Washington continuously seeking to revise important international agreements, saying: “Unfortunately, once again we see that Washington is seeking to revise key international agreements.”

“So, today we expect to look at how China, Russia, Iran and the European Union can use the current tools to prevent undermining this crucial document and destabilizing the situation in the region,” he added.